Why Forests are a Natural Defense Against Global Warming

According to a statement signed by 40 prominent environmental scientists, the preservation, restoration, and sustainable management of forests is the world’s best hope for limiting the rising global temperature to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

In addition, the statements also suggests that the benefits of forests would be immediate.

It also estimates that reforestation and improved forest management could provide 18 percent of cost-effective mitigation by 2030.

Here are some of the reasons why the statement made the aforementioned claims:

They remove a quarter of the Carbon Dioxide that humans add to the atmosphere.

Achieving the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal requires a massive forest restoration in order to remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Bioenergy has technical constraints and is not the primary solution.

Tropical rainforest cools the air as well as created a rainfall essential for growing food in their regions and beyond.

Climate and Land Use Alliance, a coalition that promotes the importance of forests and landscapes in mitigating climate change, published the statement to coincide with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

Patricia Taculao, or Patty as she likes to be called, is a content producer for Manila Bulletin Digital Lifestyle. She graduated from University of Santo Tomas with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and plans to be a lawyer someday. She loves to spend her free time, reading, painting, and watching old movies.